Thursday, April 7, 2011

The Posture is Beyond Thinking

I read this passage today from Issho Fujita via Kyoshin Samuels excellent Jodo Shinshu/Zazen blog "Echoes of The Name". I highly recommend Kyoshin's blog. I've really become intrigued with Shinran through Kyoshin's blog. Taigen Leighton also has a number talks on the similaatities between Dogen and Shinran on his sight.

"When we refer to the qualities of.....beyond thinking(hishiryo).....we mean that the sitting posture is (itself) beyond thinking and has no thought,.....not that we ourselves are. We will never be beyond thinking.....What we can do is sit with the faith that zazen posture itself is Buddha, that zazen posture itself is beyond thinking. We tend to think that we are sitting zazen. This is not the case. The entire universe is sitting zazen."

How awesome is that?

Al